Allianz Asset Management GmbH Boosts Stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI)

Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 520,395 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,786 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH owned approximately 0.19% of Gaming and Leisure Properties worth $25,062,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties during the third quarter valued at about $693,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 76.1% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 32,316 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,646,000 after buying an additional 13,965 shares during the period. Zacks Investment Management boosted its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 10.9% in the third quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 522,197 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $26,867,000 after buying an additional 51,398 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 87.5% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 14,410 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $741,000 after buying an additional 6,724 shares during the period. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in the fourth quarter worth about $526,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.14% of the company’s stock.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ GLPI opened at $48.85 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $48.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $49.77. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a 52-week low of $41.80 and a 52-week high of $52.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.02, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 11.35, a current ratio of 11.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.01. Gaming and Leisure Properties had a return on equity of 17.41% and a net margin of 51.65%. The firm had revenue of $389.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $391.54 million. On average, analysts anticipate that Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. will post 3.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.22%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s payout ratio is currently 105.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on GLPI. Mizuho decreased their target price on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $52.00 to $51.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. StockNews.com downgraded Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley downgraded Gaming and Leisure Properties from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $53.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $53.25 to $57.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Gaming and Leisure Properties currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $54.15.

Insider Transactions at Gaming and Leisure Properties

In other news, COO Brandon John Moore sold 3,982 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.84, for a total transaction of $190,498.88. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 278,634 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,329,850.56. This represents a 1.41 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 17,617 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.40, for a total value of $870,279.80. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 54,140 shares in the company, valued at $2,674,516. The trade was a 24.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 33,222 shares of company stock worth $1,624,947. 4.37% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Gaming and Leisure Properties

Gaming & Leisure Properties, Inc engages in acquiring, financing, and owning real estate property to be leased to gaming operators in triple-net lease arrangements. The company was founded on February 13, 2013 and is headquartered in Wyomissing, PA.